Evaluation of leptin, interleukin-1 beta and tumor necrosis factor alpha in serum of malaria patients as prognostic markers of treatment outcome

ABSTRACT

Objective: To analyze serum leptin levels in patients with malaria falciparum and compare them with healthy controls and correlate with development and outcome of malaria infection. Methods: Sixty cases of malaria falciparum were included in this study as patients. Thirty healthy individuals of comparable age, racial and body mass index were taken as controls. All patients were diagnosed by clinical picture and the presence of malaria parasites in blood film. Estimation of liver function test, kidney function test, complete blood count, fasting blood sugar, fasting serum insulin, pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) and interleukin 1 (IL1), estimation of morning serum leptin and calculation of body mass index (kg/m